Improvement in safety-pockets



Vbow-spring at opening of pocket.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. HUNTER, OF MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY- POC K'ETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,222, dated July 8, 1879; application tiled August 1o, 187s.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN MORRISON HUN- TER, of Morristown, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety-Pockets,

which I term a Specie and Safe-Deposit Spring and Lock Pocket, and which is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in whichp Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the pocket. Fig. 3 is a modified form of sin gle bow-spring lock-pocket.

Fig. iis a modiiication showing the combination of bow-springopening and pocket of metal fabric. Fig. 5 is a modification of metalfabric pocket.

The object of my invention is to supply an ample, convenient, and safe receptacle for bulky silver', valuable papers, the watch, and

'other valuables when conveyed upon the person, and for which the ordinary pocket and pocket -book are wholly inadequate and insecure, as well as most inconvenient.

In the drawings, a is a bowspring, which, at its extremities b, curves in a direction opposite to the general arc ot' the bow. This bow I cover with some soft fabric, such as thin canton-flannel, with the down turned outward', and this again I cover with a colored muslin, made of such width as to extend to the top oropening of the pocket. For this purpose any suitable cement may be employed.

c is a band, made fast to one end of bow and then tightly bent over the arc into said bow and firmly secured to its opposite extremity.

d is a supplemental sack formed in the space immediately below the bow-sprin g ot' the main pocket.

Both coverings ot" the bow extend beyond the extremities b of said bow, and are then turned over the ends and into the cavities of the small curves, where they are bound down by a strong linen thread, the band c also passing over the ends of bow in an opposite direction. Said ends are thus thoroughly shielded, thereby preventing any damage to person or clothing.

The bow form of spring and band not only supply a means of opening and closing the mouth of the pocket, but also, as they conform to the shape of the body ot' the person, prevent abrasion of the cloth of the coat or an unsightly bulging of its exterior, and the ends b of the bow spring turn slightly in a direction opposite to the general are of the bow, prevent abrasion and bulging of the lining ot' garment, and also aii'ord a hold at each end of bow-spring by which the coverings of said spring and the band c are made fast.

For the above reasons a straight spring is impracticable. Besides, the rigidity of such a pocket necessitates its being in a bow form andof considerable length in order to allow ot' sufficient opening; then it obviates the use of india-rubber or other elastic fabric, which t would soon stretch beyond its tension, and so cease to beof any use for this purpose, while the sulphur used in vulcanizing india rubber changes metal to a black color, and thus renders it inapplicable for a specie or watch pocket.

Fig. 3 is a modification of lockpocket de-4 signed chiefly as a vest watch-pocket, and ofv such nature that a Watch cannot be suddenly abstracted by a thief without the knowledge ot' the owner, said Watch being caught by the bow spring and then thrown into the closed sack or pouch, Where it is held fast. The cord f, passing through and across the opening of the pocket, is caught by an elastic band, g, through which it passes at h. This elastic band pulls back the cord out of the way when the pocket is open, but yields when the ring i at the end of cord is put onto the button lc, at outer end ot' spring on the inside of vest.

With ladies, the cord or wire key of lockpocket should extend to belt, on which the button 7c is best located for holding the ring t' of cord or key.

The bow-spring b is best made of steel, but may be of hard india-rubber, or celluloid, or whalebone, or Wood, or any other suitable elastic substance.

The band c is best made of a linen tape or l other firm inelastic material; but for some purposes it may be of shirred elastic or indiarubber or other elastic substance.

This pocket may be made without any separate band, the side of pocket opposite tobowspring acting as a band, and the bow may be inclosed in a casing formed out of the material of the pocket;but in such case the strain comes upon the pocket, which is an objection. Themetal casing, Fig. 4, is best made of Wire-cloth, the sides being soldered together at the edge and having a wire-edge iinish. Wires t, best made of steel, are bent over thisl edge, and which act both as springs and as guards to prevent pocket from being cut.

The metal spring-pocket, as represented in Fig. 5, is made of sheet metal cut into strands o, and are best made of very light sheet-steel cut and stamped into form by a die, and then tempered and nickel-plated. The ends of cut strands are placed between two band-wires, r, by which arrangement the necessary elasticity may be had for opening and closing the pocket.

The said ends of the strands are covered withv some suitable material, w, bound over the edge of the pocket and attached to the band-wires r, or the ends of the strands may be soldered together with a wire-edge linish, as shown in the metal casing, Fig. 4.

Metal pockets should belined with an inner pocket of silicia, x, or other suitable material to protect the hand against abrasion, and also covered by an outer pocket of suitable material to guard against wear of cloth or lining; also, pockets made of metal should have a curved form, corresponding with the form of the person, for the same reason and with the same object in view as has been stated in regard to the bow-sprin g.

The action of this pocket depends, in a considerable degree, upon the pouch or closed sack d, formed by the space between the bowspring a and its coverings and the upper part of pocket Z.

In turning pocket with opening downward yits contents (as heavy specie, &c.,) falls into the having been'loosened. I Y

To render the bow-springl effective for this said sack, which otherwise might be thrown out by its momentum, and also in attempting to draw a watch it catches inside the bowspring, which then holds it unless said spring is first pushed back by the hand, the lock-cord purpose, when a pocket is put into a garment the ends oi' spring should be sewcd firmly down to the 'goods to avoid the risk of said spring being thrown out or pulled out of the mouth of pocket.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Iletters Patent, is-

1. The combination oi' bow-spring b, band c, and closed sack d, arranged to operate substantially as specified.

2. In combination with the bow-spring b, band c, and inclosing-,sack d, the locking devices, consisting of the cord j', passed through the end of elastic band g and eyelet le, to ring i, for attachment to butt-on k, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with bow-spring b, band c, and closed sack (l, the metal-fabric pocket, with guard-springs t and edge-binding w, having an inner lining, x, of some suitable textile orother soft protecting material, substantially as described. Y

4. The combination of bow-spring b and of band c, made of metal or other resistant non-elastic material, and inclosing-sack d, arranged to operate substantially as specied.

JOHN MORRISON HUNTER.

Witnesses THEoDoRE AYERs, GEO. A. LAWRENCE. 

